Education / Experience:
| 2017 - Present: | Staff Scientist, CHESS, Cornell University |
| 2017 - 2016: | Postdoc, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Fellowship, Department of Scientific Research, Metropolitan Museum of Art |
| 2016 - 2015: | Postdoc, CHESS |
| 2015 - 2009: | PhD in Materials Chemistry, Cornell University |
| 2009 - 2005: | BA in Chemistry and Fine Arts, Hamilton College |
Research Interests:
Dr. Louisa Smieska is the project scientist for the XLEAP beamline under construction at CHESS and scheduled to come online for users in 2028. XLEAP will provide 2D and 3D x-ray fluorescence and spectroscopy measurements specialized for plants and biological systems. Louisa has long-standing interests in x-ray microprobe measurements, especially x-ray fluorescence (XRF), with an emphasis on applications in geology, plant sciences, and cultural heritage.
From 2019-2024 Louisa was responsible for the Functional Materials Beamline (FMB), part of MSN-C, which focuses on lightweight structural materials such as 3D printed polymers and composites. FMB's core capabilities are microbeam and in-situ small- and wide-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS/WAXS) and full-field imaging.
Selected Publications:
Functional Materials Beamline
- Smieska, L.; Page, K.; Ree, B.; Zheng, B.; Koerner, H.; Woll, A. "The Functional Materials Beamline at CHESS," Synchrotron Radiation News, 2023, 36 (1): 1-8. DOI: 10.1080/08940886.2023.2202578
- Trigg, E.; Hmeidat, N.; Smieska, L.; Woll, A.; Compton, B.; Koerner, H. "Revealing Filler Morphology in 3D-Printed Thermoset Nanocomposites by Scanning Microbeam X-ray Scattering," Additive Manufacturing, 2020, 37. DOI: 10.1016/j.addma.2020.101729
- Croom, B. P.; Abott, A.; Kemp, J. W.; Reschhoff, L.; Smieska, L.; Woll, A.; Stoupin, S.; Koerner, H. "Mechanics of nozzle clogging during direct ink writing of fiber-reinforced composites," Additive Manufacturing, 2020, 37. DOI: 10.1016/j.addma.2020.101701
XRF: Geology, Plant sciences, Cultural heritage
- Smieska, L.; Guerinot, M. L.; Olson Hoal, K; Reid, M.; Vatamaniuk, O. "Synchrotron Science for Sustainability: Life Cycle of Metals in the Environment," Metallomics, 2023, 15(8). DOI: 10.1093/mtomcs/mfad041
- Chia et al.; "Loss of OPT3 function decreases phloem copper levels and impairs crosstalk between copper and iron homeostasis and shoot-to-root signaling in Arabidopsis thaliana," The Plant Cell, 2023, 35 (S1). DOI: 10.1093/plcell/koad053
- Carò, F.; Schorsch, D.; Smieska, L.; Santarelli, B. "Non-invasive XRF analysis of ancient Egyptian and near Eastern turquoise: A pilot study," Journal of Archaeological Science Reports, 36 (102893). DOI: 10.1016/j.jasrep.2021.102893
- del Real Contreras, I.; Smieska, L.; Thompson, J. F. H.; Martinez, C.; Thomas, J.; Layton-Matthews, D. "Using multiple micro-analytical techniques for evaluating quantitative synchrotron-XRF elemental mapping of hydrothermal pyrite," Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectroscopy, 2019, 34 (8). DOI: 10.1039/C9JA00083F
- Smieska, L.; Twilley, J.; Woll, A.; Schafer, M.; Marcereau De Galan, A. "Energy-optimized synchrotron XRF mapping of an obscured painting beneath Exit from the Theater, attributed to Honoré Daumier," Microchemical Journal, 146 (33): 679-691. DOI: 10.1016/j.microc.2019.01.058
- Smieska, L. M.; Mullett, R.; Ferri, L.; Woll, A. R. “Trace elements in natural azurite pigments found in illuminated manuscript leaves investigated by synchrotron x-ray fluorescence and diffraction mapping,” Applied Physics A, 2017, 123: 484. DOI: 10.1007/s00339-017-1093-0